twenty-three #3
“People love your mother,” he said.
“Including you?”
He laughed. “I have no qualms with having her around. She loves to inject herself, though. She touched up the shrine the day before I was set to do it. It was one of the only things I liked to do around here…”
Keep people talking long enough, and they finally have a backhanded criticism of my mother. Yes, Joiya loved injecting herself into people’s lives and routines, as the Gardiahs had discovered. “And Hannu? Does she help out?”
She referred to the woman in her white tunic and trousers, who had taken to meditating in front of the Temple shrine on days of no service or events.
Every time Hannu came into town, she walked alone, and her sandals had worn so thin that Joiya expressed concern.
Ever since coming here, she’s taken her pilgrimage more seriously.
Hannu rocked back and forth where she sat cross-legged on the bare floor, chanting a prayer in Julah.
“Occasionally. Mostly, she does that.”
“Does it drive people away?”
Kanhith shrugged. “She blends into the scenery. If they ask, I just say to treat her as another parishioner. But I don’t say no to her cooking meals in the break room.”
“She cooks for you?”
“And Master Marlow.” A touch of blush colored Kanhith’s cheeks. “She’s not a great cook, though.”
Why is he blushing? Did he have a crush on Hannu? Really? She was not in the market for a husband at the moment, and certainly would not want a priest for one. Probably. Mira was assuming. It was bad enough that she came from a priestly family.
“And how about Ramaron, huh?” Mira knew she could get away with asking because the man in question was currently out doing field research with Joiya, who had returned that morning looking quite pleased with herself.
“He likes to fancy himself a chef at times. Took classes at the Academy, my father says. Used to cook for him when they were roommates. Can you believe it?”
Kanhith blushed even harder. “Actually, he’s cooked for me a few times. It’s not bad, considering the local ingredients from the market. My liaison stocks the pantry for me, but it’s rather incongruent with julah cuisine.”
“Do you dine with him in his little apartment?” The kitchen in there was bigger than the one in the breakroom, but barely.
“Ah, he cooks in my apartment. It’s much bigger.”
Mira struggled to find something to make fun of, considering the man was so embarrassed. Why? Because an older man cooked for him? Kanhith didn’t seem the type to have his masculinity threatened by that. If anything…
“Fucking Void, are you two boning?”
Kanhith attempted to shush her, although they spoke in Julah and nobody but Hannu was around, anyway. “Lady Mira, please…”
“I was joking! Oh, my God!”
She was determined to tease him more about being into an older, respected man, but a cry from the front of the Temple made them both take notice and forget their personal conversation.
“Why!” Hannu smacked both of her palms against the floor, her voice ragged and liable to crack the windows. “Why do you torment me like this? What the hell do you want from me?”
Kanhith was up before Mira, who followed his brisk steps up to the shrine, where he put a hand on Hannu’s shoulder and was unceremoniously shrugged off.
“Why, damnit!” she shouted again, rising from her knees to shake her fists at the shrine to the Void. “You speak to me! You haunt my dreams! But you don’t tell me what I have to do!”
Mira and Kanhith glanced at one another. “What on earth is going on?” she asked Hannu.
But her traveling companion wouldn’t even look at her. Mira pulled her communicator out of her tunic pocket and messaged her mother to return ASAP.
By the time the woman appeared at the back of the Temple, Ramaron holding her arm, Hannu had prostrated herself on the floor and screamed.
“My dear!” Joiya raced forward, ignoring anyone else standing around as she knelt beside Hannu and took her by the shoulders. “What is this lament? Why are you so disturbed?”
Hannu sat up again, tears marring her fair face as anger colored her complexion.
“I can’t make amends.” She sobbed. “Until I sacrifice. But the Void won’t tell me what!”
“The Void is speaking to you?”
“It’s in my head!” Hannu rocked again, hands clapped over her ears as a distressed hum vibrated in her throat.
Joiya gestured for Mira to get down there and help her coddle Hannu, who was so teary and snotty now that no matter what Mira touched, she got wet.
“Just this endless sound of voices and anger, and… this woman in my dreams…”
Mira looked to her mother. “A Dreamwalker?” The same one that had visited her?
“This place is cursed,” Hannu whined as she lost her energy to continue carrying on. “If we stay here, we’ll be cursed.”
Joiya squared her shoulders and stared down at Hannu, eyes clouding over as she opened the inner one that saw auras and God knew what else. Mira wouldn’t know.
“Your aura…” Joiya shook her head, closing her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Later, Mira would overhear her mother telling Ramaron that Hannu’s aura was now tainted. It certainly hadn’t been before.